In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘MAY PEARL II’. The present variety was hybridized by me in 2001, grown as a seedling on its own root in my greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley).
The variety was developed as a first generation cross using an unnamed white flesh peach (unpatented) as the selected seed parent and ‘Rose Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,845) as the selected pollen parent. A single tree from the stated cross was selected as the claimed variety. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon when the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is very distinguished from its pollen parent, ‘Rose Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,845) nectarine, by producing nectarines that are white instead of yellow in flesh color and that are sub-acid instead of acid in flavor.
The present variety is similar to ‘Early Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,248) nectarine, by producing nectarines that are firm in texture, sub-acidic and sweet in flavor, full red in skin color, and white in flesh color, but is distinguished therefrom by requiring less chilling hours, blooming earlier, and producing fruit that is somewhat larger in size and that has a sweet instead of bitter kernel.